Reviews

Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World by Dan Santat, Mac Barnett

booknooknoggin's review against another edition

5.0

I'll admit that I saw this book when I was with my son to pick out books, and I wanted it. It's not big on text, and not much of a story, but it's a story told in pictures and short phrases about a little girl who built a giant robot for her science project. I think the size of this book along with the beautiful eye catching paintings make this book a very fun book for kids!

beecheralyson's review against another edition

4.0

I love Dan Santat's illustrations and this is what I enjoyed the most about this book. The pictures nearly tell the whole story even without the text. I did love how the girl goes through the whole thing about why it wasn't smart to build that Robot for the science fair and now what should she do to reign it in. Kids will enjoy it - especially the illustrations.

katieritoch's review

3.0

Oh No! Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World is about a little girl who made a robot for the science fair which turns evil and starts destroying the world. Luckily she has a giant toad to help out. The story takes place in an Asian community as the background has building signs in some type of Asian writing. The book doesn't have many words on each page and is a fun story. This book would be fun all elementary kids but the reading level is more for 1st and 2nd graders. This would be best used for a science read-aloud or introduction to a science fair.

adubrow's review

4.0

Very cute and fun. Would be great for older kids.

tashrow's review

5.0

It all started when a smart girl builds a giant robot as a science project. When it goes on a rampage, she realizes all of the features that she should have included and ones that it definitely should not have, like the laser eye. She also realizes that it is up to her to stop it. She tries to communicate with it, but when that and hitting it fail, she comes up with another solution. She builds a gigantic toad programmed to destroy the robot. And it works! Now just to solve the problem of what can stop a giant toad…

Riotously funny, this book is a brilliant tribute to the monster flicks of the 1950s. Barnett’s dry, understated text heightens the drama and action of the story. Santat’s illustrations pay homage to vintage comics in the colors and stylings, but remain firmly modern too. The illustrations are worth lingering over, especially the many and varied signs shown throughout the city, some in Chinese letters, strengthening that tie to monster movies.

This is a picture book worth sharing with a wide range of ages, even young teens who may have seen some of the type of movies this book references. Happily cheesy, wonderfully funny, this book is extraordinary.

luann's review

4.0

This is like a combination picture book/graphic novel/monster movie with some wordless pages thrown in for good measure. The story is deceptively simple, letting the hilarious illustrations tell you the bulk of the story. I can't decide whether to watch it fly off my shelves again and again or save it for a fun library read-aloud! I want to see the eyes light up and hear the laughter, but I also don't want them to miss any of the great details in the illustrations.

katebrarian's review

4.0

I've definitely gushed about Dan Santat's illustrations before so I don't need to go into detail except to say that they're still lovely.
This story is about a girl in Japan whose science fair project, a giant killer robot, busts through the wall of her school and started rampaging through the town. "I probably shouldn't have given it a superclaw, or a laser eye, or the power to control dogs' minds."
Amazing.